International Rugby: Absence of Jamison Gibson Park will make Ireland’s South Africa trip even tougher

Having won two of three Tests in New Zealand two summers ago, and got the better of Australia and Argentina in previous trips, South Africa remain the last of the southern hemisphere’s ‘Big Four’ that Ireland have never beaten in a Test series.

Indeed, prior to their last visit in 2016, they had never won an international on South African soil.

They would tick that particular box in the first Test eight years ago, winning despite a red card for CJ Stander after 22 minutes, but ultimately lost the series two games to one.

There are four survivors from that tour this time around in Conor Murray, Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Furlong and Finlay Bealham.

Murray, Henshaw, and Furlong were also on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa three years ago. Captain Peter O’Mahony, who missed out on the 2016 series through injury, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne all joined them on that trip too.

Of course, the entire squad are now all used to visiting the country in the United Rugby Championship, with the Leinster contingent having tasted defeat to the Bulls on Saturday in a domestic semi-final played in the same Loftus Versfeld venue that will host the first Test.